For many, firm odds were on Fnatic to wipe OB Neon out. OB Neon was the clear underdog, having just an average showing in the Major so far. Part of the reason was OB Neon having had to swap in Yang “Deth” Wu Heng after Rafael “Rappy” Palo had to drop out of the team due to Covid-19 concerns.
Fnatic, on the other hand, had come in from the upper bracket after falling to an in-form Evil Geniuses. They had the chops, experience and skill to carry out the win, or so they thought.
Instead, the underdog ruled. Deth was just the trump card OB Neon needed to sweep past Fnatic in a brutal three-game series. Deth was named MVP in the tiebreaker. Not bad for a second choice.
When asked if he had faced any pressure to perform, Deth shrugged and said he just “happened to be available and wasn’t in a team”.
Indeed, it was the day of the underdogs, in which unfancied teams managed to overturn the odds. Vici Gaming was the other team who thumbed their noses up at the bookies to crush Team Liquid in an emphatic 2-0 victory.
By the third game, fans were wondering if South American Thunder Predators (TP) who themselves fall prey to the curse of the underdog. But TP, who lost to Team Secret the day before, rolled up their sleeves and got the job done against Team Aster from China, beating them 2-0.
The final series of the day saw Russian Virtus.pro line up against North American Quincy Crew. Both teams were supposedly evenly-matched and it was down to the wire – Virtus squeezed out a last minute win against Quincy in a 2-1 victory.
So it’s adios to the teams that bowed out today – they won’t even be able to eat the local nasi goreng (fried rice) – as they will have to return to their home countries immediately after their games. What a way to rub salt to their wounds.
For the others still in the hunt, it’s back to the arena tomorrow, with tournament favourite Team Secret up against wildcard PSG.LGD while EG takes on Invictus Gaming.
It’s looking spicy.Check out the rest of the results here.
